Over fifty thousand colorful lights were lit Wednesday night at the iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, drawing warm applause from the crowds gathered to watch the annual tradition in New York City.

The giant, 23-foot-tall fir tree comes from the town of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and is adorned with an impressive star at the top, covered with 3 million crystals Swarovski.

The tree was cut down last month and trucked to Rockefeller Square, completing a long journey that began in 2020, when the center’s head gardener spotted the tree and asked its owners to donate it.

This glittering attraction, above the Rockefeller Center ice rink, will remain available to the public until mid-January. After the holiday season, the tree will be used for lumber for Habitat for Humanity’s needs.

Security measures for this year’s lighting ceremony were heightened following the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare earlier in the day at a hotel a few blocks from Rockefeller Center.